If Ninamarie were a woman, I would love to get to know her. With the crackling eroticism she brings, one would want to spend more than just a New Year's Eve night with her.
Here it is, the new EP "Fire in the Neighborhood", and for the first time since 2006, after a shared night, something more than just a single child has finally seen the world. But since quality and quantity were the midwives here, this six-track release is a lot of fun.
First of all, I am glad that Thomas is doing better and has audibly recovered from his accident.
Thomas Götz (Beatsteaks) and Marten Ebsen (Turbostaat) conjure raw diamonds out of the hat and make a nearly poppy start with "Wedding Gift". If comparisons can/should be made, I hear a hint of "Superpunk" here. This song would have been my favorite for this year's ESC - Grand Prix in Malmö, where a guitar band, however, has rather worse chances, as the example has shown again. But what a statement it would be to travel there with a chorus that screams "Give up, give up!"?
In the song "Corpses to Cocktails", you can somewhat sense why this band exists. I can't really imagine this song coming from either of the two main bands, yet it reminds me of early Turbostaat, from the feeling the lyrics convey. I hope no one attributes any necrophilic thoughts to me now...
Next is the instrumental piece "Sweet Africa". For Jethro Tull fans, this is certainly a must :) Unfortunately, I can only do little with it in this context, which isn't even due to the ethnic flute. I find these kinds of tracks somewhat challenging even with Turbostaat, because I, for my part, am in a completely different mood when I listen to such a record, and an instrumental piece conveys a different feeling than I want to have right now, causing a break.
The track "The Local Chief" suffers a bit because it can't reconnect. Perhaps it's also due to the 80s keyboards that remind me a bit of the Editors.
Since I'm already comparing, in the next song "33 Rounds", through the accompanying female vocals, you can hear a hint of "Huah!" that roamed around in the early 90s.
And unfortunately, we are already, far too early, at the last piece "The Fucking Commander". This comes with a deep darkness and oppression, where I find it hard to put the feelings into words. The accompanying note describes it as "Straightforward sincerity in being irreconcilable with those who appeal to past consensus, where there has always only been dissent". Definitely a piece that provokes thought, as it should always be...
Ninamarie reminds me of beautiful, beloved stations of my past. Like an old friend you meet again after years and realize she has become even more beautiful.
And as the last notes faded away, I changed my Facebook status to "Bela Beimer likes Ninamarie"
"Fire in the Neighborhood" ignites on March 15, 2013, as a 12” + download code at Rookie Records distributed by Cargo Records. Those who act quickly also have the chance to get one of 300 limited vinyl copies.
